Dogs sniffing out delicacies not drugs thanks to trainer Jayson Mesman

POLICE dog trainer Jayson Mesman can usually be found training canines to sniff out drugs but the rest of the time he and his four-legged friends sniff for truffles.

Jayson Mesman and one of his well-trained truffle hunters, Samson, find a tasty morsel. Pic: Lean Timms

FROM Monday to Friday Jayson Mesman can be found training canines to sniff out drugs and other illicit material for the Australian Federal Police. The rest of the time you’ll find him on his Canberra farm with a troupe of four-legged friends as they sniff for truffles.

As the owner, founder and director of The Truffle Farm — the ACT’s only farm dedicated to growing the highly-prized delicacy — Jayson relies heavily on his beloved pets to locate the delicious booty that’s predominantly found growing among the roots of trees.

Key to his success is a bond with dogs that dates back to his childhood in Canberra. “My parents had German shepherds and I used to ride around on their backs!” says Jayson, 32. “Dogs were always part of my upbringing.”

After graduating from high school in 2002, CommBank’s Australian of the Day got a call from a friend at the Australian Customs Service offering him a job working with canines. “So I started as a kennel hand and they saw I had an affinity with dogs,” he recalls. “There was a job going in WA as a dog handler with Customs and so off I went.”

He might still be there if not for a chance call from the Wine and Truffle company at Manjimup. “They said, ‘You guys are pretty good with dogs — any chance you’d like to come down?” Jayson recalls.

So with his trusty Labrador Samson, he travelled 300km south to Manjimup. “In 10 minutes Samson found 4kg of truffles,” says Jayson. “So we were hired!”

Juggling work with Customs, Jayson began travelling throughout Australia working on farms that needed help with truffle dogs.

In January, an opportunity arose to buy the property in Canberra that is now The Truffle Farm. “It is the only truffle producing farm in Canberra,” says Jayson, who switched from Customs to working with the AFP on his return to the ACT.

“We’ve got seven dogs — all of them are rescued dogs — except for one which is the German Shepherd named Bear,” says Jayson. “He was purchased to keep people at bay if they think about jumping the fence and finding their own truffles!”

Business is booming. “We did almost 200kg of truffles this season,” says Jayson. “The market is definitely there internationally. We’ve had huge interest from Japan, the US and obviously from Europe because we sit in their off season and truffles are a way of life in Europe.”

First and foremost though, Jayson is proud to be giving back to his hometown. “While we’ve got a lot of international interest, being a local Canberra boy I wanted to spoil the market here,” he says. “We want to grow as Canberra grows.”

“I realise how fortunate I have been. I never would have thought that when I was 18 and walking dogs for a job around Lake Burley Griffin just how far my affinity with dogs would take me. I really have a lot to thank them for.”

CommBank has partnered with News Corp Australia to champion the Australian of the Day initiative which celebrates people in our neighbourhoods and communities who really make a difference to how we live and who we are. You can read all their stories at australianoftheday.com.au, where you can also nominate someone you know.